In an industry first, DataArt announced today that it has completed back-end development of GeoLife’s Navmii turn-by-turn navigation application for the iPod touch. Navmii is the first to bring GPS navigation with smart routing, interactive maps and spoken directions to the iPod touch. Navmii for iPhone and the iPod touch will be available in the U.S. this winter.

DataArt matched GeoLife’s Navmii software with PosiMotion’s G-Fi mobile network / GPS router to develop the application, which is now available on the Apple iTunes App Store. The new application uses G-Fi’s satellite GPS for more accurate positioning than standard cellular or Bluetooth triangulation.

“Outside of a GPS manufacturer, it’s very hard – and rare – to find the type of technical expertise in an outsourcing company that’s needed for this type of application,” said Peter Atalla, CEO of GeoLife. “DataArt’s deep expertise in both navigation and LBS technologies made them a natural choice. We’ve worked with DataArt for more than two years on similar projects that required rapid delivery and have consistently been impressed with the level of innovation.”

“Location based services are increasingly playing a role in the mobile sector,” said Eugene Goland, president of DataArt. “Navmii is a leap forward for these technologies, and DataArt plans to further establish itself as a vendor of choice for developing mobile software solutions.”

Navmii will be available in the U.S. for the iPod touch and iPhone within the coming months and is currently available in the UK. iPod touch users will require both Navmii and G-Fi.